1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to input/output (IO) pads of an integrated circuit (IC) and more particularly to monitor and control signal respective of the IO pads and even more particularly for control of the IO pads for safety purposes.
2. Prior Art
Integrated circuits (ICs) are used in increasing numbers in systems that impact the safety of systems. These include, for example, ICs used in vehicles where there is made an increased use of electronic components to control various functions. Certain of these functions also involve activities that have direct impact on the safety of the vehicle and therefore are critical components and have to be monitored and/or controlled for safe operation at all times. While there are many cases where monitoring of the functionality of an IC is performed there is still a problem that relates to the input/output (IO) pads of the devices. Namely, the IO pads are left alone and in a case of failure of any sorts, while operation may cease or be otherwise controlled, still signals may be present on the IO pads as an input or an output that propagate from the IC to other components of the system, or vice versa, propagate externally from the IC into the functional blocks of the IC further disrupting the operation.
It would be therefore advantageous to provide a solution that will enable the monitoring and control of the IO pads of an IC thereby overcoming deficiencies of prior art implementations.